Yamantaka, the buffalo-faced conqueror of death, is the ferocious manifestation of Manjusri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, whose head can be seen atop eight other heads that wrap around to the back of the sculpture. As Yamantaka’s numerous hands fight evil and his legs trample demons and disbelievers, he and his consort Vajravetali (the wrathful form of Sarasvati) create new life.